Hi Chuck! The hand controls took a little getting use too..almost took my garage wall out the first time out.. It's 10x better than my ATV,I needed help getting on and off of it and if I was home alone I was up the creek with out a paddle if you know what I mean. Now I can go hunting or just for a ride any time I want. Did you ever see controls for a car? There exactly the same setup and work excellent...